Nate Bargatze to serve as honorary pace car driver for Ally 400

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - When the Ally 400 comes to the Nashville Superspeedway this month as part of the NASCAR Cup Series, a familiar face to Middle Tennesseans will be leading the way.

The Nashville Superspeedway announced on Thursday that Middle Tennessee’s own Nate Bargatze will serve as the honorary pace car driver to start the NASCAR Cup Series finale on June 25. Bargatze will get behind the wheel of the Superspeedway’s Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 pace car to commence the final race of the weekend.

“This summer, we will provide the most thrilling entertainment in Nashville with the Ally 400 race weekend,” Nashville Superspeedway general manager Matt Greci said. “There is no better entertainer out there than Nate Bargatze to take part in our remarkable event to bring fans from Middle Tennessee, and across the country and world, together right here at Nashville Superspeedway.”

Bargatze’s stand-up comedy career began in Old Hickory, TN, where he learned show business from his father, who performed as a clown when he was young and later transitioned to comedic magic. Bargatze’s debut comedy album was named, “Yelled at By a Clown,” to highlight his father’s influence on his life and subsequent humor.

Despite the success of his Netflix specials, “The Standups,” “The Tennessee Kid,” and “The Greatest Average American,” Bargatze keeps his humor clean and relatable. His latest one-hour special, “Nate Bargatze: Hello World,” released on Amazon Prime, is one of Amazon’s most-streamed original comedy specials ever, according to the press release.

Joining Bargatze at the Ally 400 will be Parker McCollum, who will perform the official pre-race concert, and Old Dominion will serve as grand marshal of the race weekend.

The three races included in the tripleheader will be the Rackley Roofing 200 Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday, June 23; the Tennessee Lottery 250 Xfinity Series race on Saturday, June 24; and the Ally 400 Cup Series race on Sunday, June 25, under the lights.

For tickets or race information, visit the Superspeedway’s website, here. For more information on Nate Bargatze’s comedy or his current tour, go here.